Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond showed another key aspect in his development Sunday when he made 6 of 8 from the line in the most obvious effort to intentionally foul him this season.AP Photo

AUBURN HILLS -- With the nicknames largely expired for the unattractive art of intentionally fouling poor free-throw shooters, the Detroit Pistons have yet to reach a consensus on what to call it when their rookie center Andre Drummond is targeted.

He scored 16 points on an economy of six field-goal attempts -- five dunks and a badly missed short jumper -- and when the Celtics resorted to extensively playing zone defense and hacking Drummond out of desperation, the Pistons knew they had enforced their will.

Drummond himself said that when one of the Celtics' elder statesmen warned him early in the game that the intentional foul was coming, "I looked lost."

"Jason Terry looked at me and he was like, 'I'm about to foul you,' and I was like, 'No, you're not.' And then, running down the court, he grabbed me," Drummond said.

That happened less than nine minutes into the first quarter. Drummond made the pair.

Twice more in the third quarter, the Celtics hacked Drummond within three seconds of scoring. The rookie made three of those four attempts.

It was the most blatant incident of intentionally fouling Drummond yet and he used the moment to improve his season free-throw percentage to 42.5, from 39.2.

The Pistons showed no ill effects from their loss Thursday in London and drew early energy from a crowd of 17,575, the third-biggest of the season at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Brandon Knight played on even terms with Rajon Rondo in the game's key matchup. He committed seven turnovers but Rondo had nine, and his rim-rattling dunk pushed the Pistons to a 7-0 lead in a game they never trailed.

Knight finished with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists. Rondo had eight points, nine rebounds and 15 assists but shot 4 of 16 from the floor.

"Brandon was a key for us getting off to a good start early," Tayshaun Prince said. "And I don't mean that by making shots and having a big-time dunk, or things like that, but his energy."

University of Kentucky product Prince took tongue-in-cheek note that his fellow ex-Wildcats Knight and Rondo combined for 16 turnovers.

"I'm disappointed, man. That ain't good," Prince said.

But the most displeased person in the building may have been Celtics coach Doc Rivers.

"We are playing awful and I am clearly not doing my job for this team -- and I am serious," Rivers said. "I am not trying to take a bullet for the team and I told them that. I said we have to find something where all 12 guys play the same way."

The Celtics lost their third consecutive game on the heels of a six-game win streak which Rivers came far short of endorsing.

"We did it for three games in a stretch," Rivers said. "I told them that game four and game five in that winning streak were garbage, we just won the game. So I have to figure that out because I do not think the guys are honest with each other. I just do not think we are committed to being a good basketball team."

One person committed to being exceptional is Drummond, the rookie sensation who added seven rebounds in his 20 minutes of playing time.

Prince said you wouldn't know it in the Pistons' day-to-day workouts.

"He is totally different in practice than he is in the game," Prince said.

The veteran forward added that the issues Drummond faces in practice -- no officiating to regulate three-second defensive violations and contracted floor spacing against teammates familiar with playing against him -- evaporate during games.

"Things are so tight in there, those rolls to the lane ain't really there as much, so he don't really get those easy opportunities," in practice, Prince said. "We get in a game and the floor is so wide open, his athleticism takes over."